Tag Archives: movies
Theater Thursday 07/24/08: Summer of ’42
Summer of ’42 is a 1971 American “coming-of-age” motion picture drama based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. It tells the story of Raucher as a boy, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, who embarked on a one-sided romance with a woman, Dorothy, whose husband had gone off to fight in World War II. The film was directed by Robert Mulliagan, and starred Gary Grimes as Hermie, Jerry Houser as his best friend … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday 06/19/08: Life is Beautiful
This 1997 Italian foreign film, Life Is Beautiful, (Italian: La vita è bella) was an international sensation and the most successful foreign language film in U.S. history. An inspired motion picture masterpiece, it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards — winning 3 Oscars, including one for Best Actor Roberto Benigni, who also directed and co-wrote the film. In this extraordinary tale, Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni) — a charming but bumbling waiter who’s gifted with a colorful imagination and an irresistible sense of humor — has won … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday: Raging Bull
Raging Bull is a 1980 film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin from the memoir Raging Bull: My Story. It stars Robert De Niro as Jake LaMotta, a temperamental and paranoid but tenacious boxer who alienates himself from his friends and family. I think this may be one of Robert De Niro’s greatest performances besides The Godfather. Also featured in the film are Joe Pesci as Joey, La Motta’s brother and manager, and Cathy Moriarty as his abused wife. The … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday 10/09/08: All The President’s Men
All the President’s Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two journalists investigating the Watergate break-in and ensuing Watergate scandal for The Washington Post. A film adaptation, starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, respectively, was released in 1976. The book chronicles the investigative reporting of Woodward and Bernstein from Woodward’s initial report on the Watergate break-in through the resignations of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and the revelation of the Nixon tapes by Alexander Butterfield … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday: An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy is an American novel by Theodore Dreiser. Here is a novel that deals with issues ahead of its time. Published in 1925, the book is the story of a young man, Clyde Griffiths, whose troubles with women and the law take him from his religious upbringing in Kansas City to the fictional town of Lycurgus, New York. Among Clyde’s love interests are the materialistic Hortense Briggs, the charming farmer’s daughter Roberta Alden, and the aristocratic Sondra Finchley. The book is naturalistic in … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday 05/01/08: A Hatful of Rain
Steve McQueen made his debut on Broadway in 1955, by replacing Ben Gazzara in the play A Hatful of Rain. This is probably the first time that the issue of drug addiction is handled on stage or screen. In 1951 a young Steve McQueen was contemplating entering ’tile setting school’ (through the assistance provided to him under the GI bill), but his plans took a change of direction when a girl he was dating took him to ‘The Neighbourhood Playhouse’, one of New York’s premier … Continue reading →
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Romeo and Juliet (1968) is Florentine director Franco Zeffirelli’s beautiful modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s enduring, classic yet tragic love story of “star-crossed lovers.” Filmed on location in Italy, it was the most commercially successful Shakespeare film and its most entertaining, refreshing and natural rendition – a passionate celebration of young love. The film won four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography (Pasqualino De Santis), and Costume Design (Danilo Donati), winning two Oscars – Best Cinematography and Costume Design. Nino Rota’s evocative musical score, … Continue reading →
Miracle on 34th Street
Miracle on 34th Street (also titled The Big Heart in the UK) is a 1947 film written by Valentine Davies, directed by George Seaton, and starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edmund Gwenn), Best Writing, Original Story (Valentine Davies) and Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, losing to Gentleman’s Agreement. It was ranked ninth by the American Film Institute on its list of America’s most … Continue reading →
Theater Thursday: Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Midnight Cowboy is an Academy Award-winning 1969 drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger. and stars Dustin Hoffman and then-newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. The film follows the story of a young Texas named Joe Buck (Jon Voight), who works washing dishes in a seedy restaurant. He wishes to leave the restaurant, declaring to a workmate, “What the hell have I got to sit around … Continue reading →